1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to photographic processing equipment. In particular, the present invention is an improvement to photographic film splicers to prevent problems caused by splice tape during subsequent processing operations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In commercial photographic processing operations, very high rates of processing must be achieved and maintained in order to operate profitably. For that reason, many rolls (or strips) of photographic film from various customers are typically spliced together for processing and printing purposes. After prints have been made from the photographic film, an individual customer's film must be separated from the long web of film formed by the spliced-together film strips. Typically the customer's film is cut into segments of several frames each so that the segments can be placed flat in an envelope together with the customer's prints.
One typical type of splicer used in photographic processing operations uses heat activated splice tape which is applied under heat and pressure to the ends of the film strip to be spliced. The film splicer includes a splice pad or platform which supports the ends of the film to be spliced, and a movable heat block or head which applies heat and pressure to the splice tape and the film ends in order to bond the splice tape to the ends of the film.
In the past, equipment has been developed to eliminate many of the manual operations required for handling photographic film in a commercial photographic processing operation. This equipment has included automatic film cutters, which cut the film into segments of several frames each. Typically the cut film segments are stacked in a tray until all of the segments from a customer's order have been stacked, and then are manually removed from the tray and placed in an envelope.
The packaging of the photographic film segments has been even further automated in apparatus known as the Pako Photopacker, which is manufactured by Pako Corporation, the assignee of the present application. The Pako Photopacker automates film cutting, print paper cutting, print sorting, and packaging of both film segments and prints. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,114,349 by G. A. Jensen, L. A. Larson and R. E. Diesch; 4,139,978 by G. A. Jensen and A. J. Willenbring; and 4,139,980 by L. A. Larson and R. E. Diesch; and copending U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 146,508 by A. W. Willenbring, W. J. Osby and G. R. Strunc, and Ser. No. 146,507 by P. J. Gilligan and T. G. Merry (both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present application) illustrate portions of mechanisms which have been used in the Pako Photopacker. One form of the film cutting, conveying and packing mechanism is illustrated in FIG. 3 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,978 and is described in further detail in U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,980. Another form of the film cutting, conveying and packing mechanism is illustrated in the two above-mentioned copending patent applications.
In the Pako Photopacker, a multilayer packaging strip is transported along a transversely inclined conveyor bed. The individual layers of the multilayer packaging strip are separated from one another as the strip passes a film and print insertion station. The packaging strip is stopped at the film and print insertion station, and film segments are power driven by a film inserting mechanism into an opening between the separated layers of the packaging strip. Similarly, the photographic prints are inserted into another opening created between other separated layers of the packaging strip. After the film and prints have been inserted, the packaging strip is advanced along the conveyor bed to other stations, at which the sides of envelopes to be formed from the continuous multilayer packaging strip are sealed. An envelope side cutting assembly is positioned downstream of the side sealing apparatus, and cuts the sides of the envelopes along transverse separation lines. An envelope top sealing apparatus is also provided to seal the top of the envelope. The Pako Photopacker, therefore, provides sealed envelopes containing the customer's prints, the film segments from which those prints were made, and in some cases advertising materials or the like.
In both the semi-automated systems in which photographic film is cut and stacked on a tray and the manually inserted in an envelope, and in automated systems such as the Pako Photopacker, it is important to avoid conditions in which the film segments can jam the apparatus or otherwise become damaged. In most cases, damaged photographic film frames cannot be repaired or replaced.